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Podcast: New Books in Popular Culture
Episode: 40 Years of Purple Rain: What to Make of the Movie/Album in 2024
Description: It’s the UConn Popcast, and Purple Rain, Prince’s semi-autobiographical, semi-concert film, hit cinemas 40 years ago this week. The movie followed the album of the same name by a few short weeks. While the album is considered a defining musical achievement, the movie met a mixed reception at the time, and later critics have been both troubled by its misogyny and perplexed by its surreal qualities and uneven acting.We consider the movie and the music at the four-decade mark, centering our discussion on the figure of Prince (who plays a character called “The Kid” in the movi...